Thousands of overseas Vietnamese organized rallies in Japan, Germany, the Czech Republic, Thailand and the United States last weekend and on Monday to protest Beijing's deployment of a deep-water drilling rig in Vietnam’s territorial waters.

Vietnamese people of all ages chanted slogans and waved banners like "China! Hands off Vietnam!", “China, get out of Paracel and Spratly!!!” and "Paracel and Spratly Islands belong to Vietnam."

The crowds also sang patriotic songs in front of Chinese embassies and consulates all over the world.

The demonstrations attracted a number of native people in the host countries.

Many Vietnamese students in Thailand told Thanh Nien they were staying updated on the latest information about developments in the East Sea.

All of them found China’s aggression unacceptable.

Many said they'll continue to protest China's actions and keep the international public on alert.

Dozens of similar demonstrations have been held in Vietnam since 2007 to protest Beijing's perceived territorial aggression, AFP reported.

Tensions between the neighbors have risen sharply since China unilaterally moved a deep-water drilling rig into Vietnamese waters on May 1 -- a move the United States has described as "provocative".

Vietnam called China's actions "illegal" and has dispatched vessels to the area which have been subsequently attacked and rammed by Chinese ships.